The Virtuous Life Review

The Virtuous Life of a Christ-Centered Wife by Darlene Schacht
Publication Date: February 3, 2014
Check out the blog HERE
Goodreads Summary:

The Virtuous Life of a Christ-Centered Wife is written in the format of an 18-part study for daily or weekly reflection. Not only is it a powerful tool for personal growth, it’s also an ideal study-guide for small groups! 

Each lesson leads you through one virtue at a time, offering you applicable and inspiring ways for a wife to grow closer to God and her husband. 

Virtue calls us to action. As we exercise each one, they bring our flesh in line with our Spirit. 

It’s one thing to know what’s good, and it’s another to walk in obedience to the knowledge that we have received. Not always easy, but obedience to our faith is always worth the effort it takes

About the Author:

New York Times best-selling author, Darlene Schacht is an ordinary mom, living an extraordinary life, because of who she is through Jesus Christ. As help-meet to her husband Michael, she guides and nurtures their four children, leading them toward a deeper walk of faith. 

Her work has been published in anthologies by Thomas Nelson, Tyndale Publishing and Adams Media. She the the author of the eBook, "The Good Wife's Guide," as well as co-authoring a book with actress Candace Cameron Bure, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness.

You can find her blogging at Time-Warp Wife (www.timewarpwife.com) where she empowers wives to joyfully serve.

I received a review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Check out the Kindle copy today on Amazon for $4.99 (2/11/14)

My Thoughts:
"Virtuous" is Darlene Schacht's latest book, released first in ebook form and now in paperback as well. The idea was born from a blog series she did just recently. I loosely followed that series, and was happy when I found out that she was going to bind it all together. Also knowing she is a best-selling author, I emailed her about doing a review. Graciously she accepted! 

Immediately I dove in and found myself...somewhat confused. The first chapter was what I expected: an explanation of what a virtue is, where its brought up in the Bible, and how to help ourselves improve certain virtues. A fantastic beginning and it got me excited. 

But then some of the chapters wandered. Each chapter was to focus on a singular virtue, but I think Schacht instead of talking about the obvious (the virtue at hand), tries to take a different angle. And instead of intriguing me, I felt confused and even annoyed me a little. For example, the virtue being discussed was 'trustworthy' and Schacht focuses on gossiping and hardly even mentions trust itself.

Even more confusing, marriage was only mentioned occasionally. I had to check the cover once to see if it did really mention anything about marriage on the cover. I took 'Christ-centered wife' as a yes, but perhaps not. One chapter in particular dealt with Schacht's issues with food, and while I LOVED her honesty, it just had nothing to do with marriage. 

BUT! That's not to say its all bad! Some chapters were pretty good, especially the latter few, like Schacht picked up speed and energy as she went. Her writing was great, smooth and comforting. I can't even count how many times I highlighted her words! There were a lot of fantastic nuggets that I want to hold onto. And as I just mentioned in the previous paragraph, she did share some personal raw insights that I really appreciated and connected with. 

Two other fantastic features of this book: each chapter was just laden down with Bible verses. Just bursting with them. And I love that! To me, that communicates that I can trust this author because she is embedded deep in the Word. I am more likely to then follow that author's advice and continue to read other books by them as well. Secondly, at the end of each section Schacht includes a S.O.A.P. section with a scripture and prayer. This helps the reader refocus on the Biblical virtue and its meaning. It also can lend the book to be read as a devotional as well, an added bonus.

Overall it was a bit of a confusing read, but well written and Biblically based. I would share it with women who are already fans of Schacht's books and blog, married Christian women, and those looking for a basic primer in virtue. I am rating it with 3.5 Stars, but please! Check this one out yourself and let me know your thoughts! So far all the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are positively glowing!